Apple Grrl

This video on YouTube had me in stitches, especially after the paragraph on gaming in the article I wrote yesterday:

Author: Leslie Poston, © 2007, All Rights Reserved

Hi, I’m Leslie, and I’m a Mac addict. Can I build a PC from the ground up? Sure. Have I used PCs and Macs in dual networks? Absolutely. I’ve worked at companies that were PC exclusive, Mac exclusive and those that had a little of both. Through it all, I’ve been a Mac loyalist for over 20 years - ever since my first Apple IIe. Remember those, and the days of Basic? I do.

I am a Mac loyalist because I truly think, after years of using both, that their computer is superior to the PC in all areas but one (I’ll go into that in a minute). Even so, no computer has been built that doesn’t have room to be even better. Don’t tell that to a card carrying Apple Fanboy or Fangrrl, though. You may get beheaded. Why am I writing this on my Apple Grrl blog, where I usually show nothing but love for All Things Apple? Because a few bad Apple fans are spoiling things for the rest of us. These fans have collectively become known as the Cult of Apple, and have generated the kind of lampooning and dislike (and occasionally outright hatred) that can be found on this funny page by Maddox. The problem is that all Apple users are beginning to be seen that way, and it really chaps my hide.

Here’s the thing: Apple is awesome, but it isn’t perfect. No company is perfect. There is always room for improvement. Whether you stand behind the world of Gates or Jobs, in the world of computers it can only get better. Always. Technology moves at breakneck speed, and that in itself means no design or concept or software program is ever really “finished”. To not acknowledge that hobbles your argument, and to not have your users call you on it when you need improvement hobbles a company.

Apple has promoted the concept of their computers as a “lifestyle” since they first came out. They have marketed their computers using the “Cult of Apple” concept, and they have done a beautiful job creating the atmosphere of Mac users as a family. They have tapped into the minds of people everywhere - wanting to connect and be part of a whole in this isolated technological age. It’s been 20 years of marketing genius. Even their commercials today (I’m a Mac. And I’m a PC.) tap into the subculture they’ve created, one where Mac users are told they are somehow cooler and smarter than PC users.

This is starting to backfire on Apple. What is happening is twofold: first, when your customers buy into this concept they stop telling you when they have issues with your products, preventing you from fixing any problems and second, they become so insufferable no one else listens to them when they try word of mouth marketing for you, and you loose sales. Sure there are some reasonable Mac users (I like to think I’m in that camp), but there are a lot more Mac users who are insufferable, holier-than-thou bores.

I know, I may be lynched by a Mac Mob for saying so, but hear me out. I love to convert PC users to Macs, because I think they are better overall, in spite of their flaws. I have the hardest time doing so, because as soon as I try to open a dialog about it, the PC user assumes I’m just like any other fanatical Mac user, only able to spout marketing jargon from Apple’s vast reservoir of catch phrases. I never get the chance to compare PC and Mac use side by side, showing my experience with each and why I think that particular person might benefit from a Mac. That is the most irritating feeling in the world, being lumped in with a handful of loonies.

I’m hoping that this article will serve as a wake up call for at least a few of the members of the Cult of Apple. You are killing your product. Apple will continue to have a minor market share if you continue to push PC users away with your shrill, honking, cooler-than-you, better-than-you, Apple-is-perfect attitude. You have become the Rosie O’Donnells of the computing world. You may be smart and funny, but no one takes you seriously because you are annoying, loud and shrill. As one Mac loyalist to another, I’m begging you - please, please, please get off your high horse so we can improve Apple, and sell more of them in the long run.

What would I like to see Apple improve? Several things, actually. Let’s take a look. Everyone who uses Apple computers knows they are gorgeous machines, that use gorgeous software. Part of their appeal is the time Apple has spent on the design as a whole. Everything about it is truly pleasing to the eye. In many cases I’d even call it soothing - it’s as if they designed their computers and software with the intent of making their users feel safe. It’s one of my favorite things about Apple. Could PCs look this way? Absolutely. I have no idea why they don’t try harder to be… just, nicer all around.

In spite of the beauty of the interface and the ease of use, there are Apple programs I don’t use. Two programs at the top of the list? Safari and Mail. I would love to be able to use Safari. It is gorgeous, and it makes the whole Internet prettier as you surf. It simply doesn’t work 80% of the time, so I use FireFox instead. Apple needs to take a look at the fact that many web sites, whether Apple likes it or not, are made for Internet Explorer and FireFox functionality. When you surf the Internet and forms don’t work because you are on Safari and Safari refuses to be compatible? That hampers your Internet use. Apple needs to do what FireFox did - find out how to make Safari compatible with all forms and such online, even the ones geared for IE. Then it might get back people like me who work online and have to have 100% functionality.

As for Mail, I am not sure where to start. My big issue with Mail was that it refused to see half my email accounts. It allows them to be input, but you never get messages from them. This mainly happened on the email accounts I run from my own web sites on my own server. Obviously that is a huge problem, so I switched to Thunderbird. With Thunderbird I’ve never had a single issue retrieving my mail from any of my 20 or so email accounts. Personally, I also didn’t like the Mail interface - it was too simplistic (a frequent complaint about Apple). I don’t mind if a program comes with it’s settings set for the computer idiot, but I should be able to reset the settings for someone like me, who wants more control over my experience. Mail does not allow that.

In other Apple issues that I’d like to see improved… gaming. Apple used to be cutting edge for gaming, but not so anymore. It made me very angry that I had to shop for my budget, getting a MacBook instead of a MacBook Pro. The MacBook should be perfectly good for what I do - I’m a writer. But I also like to have fun, and the only thing I wanted MacBook to have that it didn’t was a decent gaming card. I have no idea why Apple chose to put in a non-upgradable GMA 950 card into its MacBooks and iMacs, but they did. And if you game at all, you know that card stinks like two week old gym socks dipped in curry. You can’t even play Myst Online with that card! Apple, Apple, Apple. I love you, but what were you thinking? How about letting those of us stuck with the GMA 950 bring it in to the local Apple Store for a free or low cost upgrade? Oh right, you stuck it on the motherboard for some reason so it isn’t that easy. Have I mentioned how much that sucks? Not even the Genius Bar can help this issue.

Are you beginning to see how never acknowledging Apple having room to be even better can hamper your Apple experience? Apple has had these issues for years, and has yet to fix them. Why? Because its users are so loyal that they won’t demand better from the company they are so loyal to. I’m begging you, Apple users… be loyal, but be practical. Don’t be afraid to tell Apple when you want something better. They have great customer service, they always have - if enough voices speak loud enough, they will start to change for the better. Join together to be better, kinder, less shrill Apple users. It will only benefit all of us in the long run.

Woz weighs in on Apple Fanboys

Author: Leslie Poston, © 2007, All Rights Reserved

Open Office is one of the fantastic programs that has come out of the whole Open Source software movement. I love it - it’s a fantastic program set to use in place of Microsuck Office, and it’s developed for free. Up until now the version of Open Office for Mac has lagged behind the windows version in features and updates. According to today’s news, that will happen no more. Sun, creators of the Open Office suite, have decided to put more effort and energy into developing Open Office for Macs.

The Open Office for Mac OS X will have a full Aqua interface to better match with the look and feel of OS X that we’ve all come to love. The last incarnation of Open Office for Mac ran on Apple’s X11 - a version of the windows server interface that had to be installed from the Mac OS disks as an extra. After that they tried Java as an interface, but neither the X11 or JAva version of Open Office worked smoothly on Macs. The development of a native Open Office application for Mac is huge news, and will be well received by the Apple community who have been waiting for a viable alternative to Microsuck Office.

Author: Leslie Poston, © 2007, All Rights Reserved

In recent months some consumers had complained of battery issues with their MacBooks. A few claimed their laptops had caught fire, most just said they were too hot to handle - reaching temperatures unsafe for human laps. Personally, I downloaded the firmware update Apple offers for this and it has worked just fine for my MacBook, but not everyone was convinced that was enough.

Apple has a reputation for listening to its customers and offering viable solutions to problems. The battery problem has been no exception. Apple acknowledged their MacBook battery design had issues today and presented users with a fix. The fix is a simple software update for the battery. Used in tandem with the latest version of firmware for your MacBook, it should solve the hot battery issue for all consumers.

You can grab the battery update from this page.

Author: Leslie Poston, © 2007, All Rights Reserved

Today is a travel day for Apple Reporter, so let me entice you with goodies for your Mac:

Keyboard skins for your MacBook. Trouble seeing the letters on your MacBook? Type so much the letters are wearing off? Never fear, lettered skins are here, for under $25 USD.

Trivia junkies now have an outlet for their addiction made for the iPod. Now you can show off your esoteric knowledge of all things useless anywhere you go with iQuiz, available at the iTunes store.

Samsung announced its breakthrough in RAM today, touting the develop of a 4GB stacked memory stick, expanding the possibilities of computer memory and reducing space usage exponentially.

Tired of your plain white MacBook 13″? Skin it with a laptop skin representing any of your interests, teams, hobbies or more. Sold by SkinIt.

See more cool Mac stuff every Monday on MacObserver.

Author: Leslie Poston, © 2007, All Rights Reserved

Finding software for your computer that works well and doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg is never easy. Half the time you end up going with the software everyone uses, like Microsoft Word, even though it is expensive, because choosing the right alternative is just too difficult and time consuming.

If you bought a Mac, you already have an advantage. Macs come with enough preloaded software that you can literally begin using them right out of the box for text editing, multi media, music, surfing the net, emails, scheduling, and more. Even so, most people want to “customize their ride” with software that is a better fit for their daily use.

Shareware and freeware may come to your rescue. Shareware is software written for certain computer platforms by users of the platform, offered for a free download or limited time demo, with a way to pay a small fee if you like it after your trial period (generally under $20). Freeware is software written and offered for free. The biggest example of this is the OpenSource software movement, made up of hundreds of thousands of programmers.

So where do you find freeware for your Mac? Almost anywhere online, really. The trick is knowing how to look. Before I go into search methods, why don’t I point you to some actual freeware you can try out for your Mac?

AbiWord is the slimmer, trimmer version of OpenOffice’s word processor.

Adium is my instant messenger client of choice, handling all types of instant communication with ease, from AIM to ICQ, all in one window.

Aleph engine for Marathon One game.

AMSN Messenger instant messaging and chat program.

Armagetron is Tron updated.

Audacity is an easy sound recording tool

Battle for Wesnoth is a fantasy game.

Blender is 3D modeling software.

Buddy manages your finances and helps you make a budget.

Burn is a program that rips your information to CD or DVD.

BZFlag is a first person tank game.

Cabos, a file sharing program that uses the Gnutella network.

Camino, the native OS X version of Mozilla’s FireFox web browser. Not as many features (yet) but getting there.

CashBox is a basic personal finances and accounting manager.

CC Publisher hosts Creative Commons files.

Celestia is 3D planetarium software

CenterStage plays your audio, video and photos in full screen mode.

ClamXAV free virus defeater.

Coaliscious is a cheat system for del.icio.us.

Colloquy IRC chat client.

Comical online comic viewing program.

Cube is a first person shoot-em-up game.

CyberDuck FTP program.

Democracy: this video player for the masses, does not discriminate against any video format, even Quick Time.

ElectricSheep is a screen saver program.

FireFox web browser, by Mozilla. Quickly becoming an internet favorite. More reliable than Internet Explorer (isn’t everything?) and more compatible with various internet functions than Safari, with plenty of extensions and plugins to make anyone happy.

FreeMind is a mind mapping, outlining and note taking solution.

Fugu SFTP and FTP program.

GIMP is the now famous free design software that inspired Adobe to consider offering Photoshop as an online service for a more reasonable cost.

Handbrake rips your movies from DVD to Mpeg4 Format for you.

iEatBrainz is an MP3 management software tool.

Inkscape is a free vector graphic design program.

iPod Disk allows your iPod to be used like a regular hard drive through the finder.

iStumbler seeks out open Wi-Fi networks for you.

Jomic digital comics reader.

Juice podcasting software.

MemTest tells you how much RAM is available.

Monolingual removes extra languages (This helps you save disk space on your Mac).

MPlayer is a video player that plays nearly every kind of video file format.

MultiAlarm is like a theft prevention alarm for your Mac.

NeoOffice is OpenOffice for the Mac, giving you full capability of programs like the Microsoft Office suite, but for free.

NVu is a WYSIWYG html editor.

Pixen is a free version of Paint.

PySol card games for the Mac.

Quesa is 3D modeling software.

RSSOwl RSS feed aggregator.

Scribus desktop publishing software.

Seashore is a free design tool similar to Gimp.

Senuti is a program that gets music off your iPod and onto your desktop.

Shiira is a web browser with a small memory footprint

Smultron html and text editor.

Stellarium is real time planetarium software.

Stepmania is a clone of Dance Dance Revolution without the annoying Tila Tequila as host.

Sunrise is a web browser designed with web developers in mind.

Thunderbird, the email client created by the makers of FireFox, is a great way to manage multiple email accounts.

Tomato is a bit torrent sharing software.

Transmission is a free bit torrent downloading program.

Vienna, native RSS reader for OS X.

VLC video player playes multiple video formats with an easy to use interface.

XMeeting video conferencing program.

Zombies is a 3D Zombie action adventure strategy game.

That looks like a long list, but trust me when I say it is barely the tip of the iceberg. You can find more at Downloads, MacUpdate, and on search engines like Google. Happy hunting!

Author: Leslie Poston, © 2007, All Rights Reserved

From the Apple News Page, breaking news on the release of Apple’s next generation operating system, Leopard, and the release of the iPhone:

Apple Statement

iPhone has already passed several of its required certification tests and is on schedule to ship in late June as planned. We can’t wait until customers get their hands (and fingers) on it and experience what a revolutionary and magical product it is. However, iPhone contains the most sophisticated software ever shipped on a mobile device, and finishing it on time has not come without a price — we had to borrow some key software engineering and QA resources from our Mac OS X team, and as a result we will not be able to release Leopard at our Worldwide Developers Conference in early June as planned. While Leopard’s features will be complete by then, we cannot deliver the quality release that we and our customers expect from us. We now plan to show our developers a near final version of Leopard at the conference, give them a beta copy to take home so they can do their final testing, and ship Leopard in October. We think it will be well worth the wait. Life often presents tradeoffs, and in this case we’re sure we’ve made the right ones. [Apr 12, 2007]

Author: Leslie Poston, © 2007, All Rights Reserved